Overheard a foreman say 'we're not building pianos' on a big plant job

I was grabbing coffee near the main gate at the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown last week. A foreman was telling a new guy, 'Look, we're not building pianos here, but if your weld is off by more than an eighth, we're doing it over.' It made me think about how we balance speed with doing it right under pressure. That phrase really stuck with me as a good way to explain our work to apprentices. What's a line you've heard on a job that sums up the trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben4862mo ago

That "we're not building pianos" line is perfect. It reminds me of a story from a buddy who does concrete. His boss saw him overworking a finish on a warehouse floor and yelled, "We're pouring a slab, not a wedding cake!" The point was the same, get it flat and strong, but don't waste a day making it pretty for forklifts. It's about knowing where the good enough line really is.

riverm488d agoMost Upvoted

That "good enough line" thing just clicked for me. Used to think every job needed perfection.

janac512mo ago

That's a great point, but a wedding cake actually needs to be pretty. Maybe a better line is "we're not building a museum floor.